The Complete Vegan Travel Guide to New York City
No matter what happens, New York City (NYC) will always be a world-city, if not the world’s city. Its bright lights and aversion to sleep make it a perennial magnet for visitors, adventurers and lovers of life.
But how do vegans fare in this wild and wonderful twice named metropolis?
Travel in the USA
The good news is, NYC is a super friendly city to make an acquaintance of as a vegan. One of the best places to travel in 2021 is the Big Apple. Once there, a discerning vegan will be spoiled for choice. But first, of course, travelling in from outside of the USA…
Flying always comes with a host of nagging thoughts – your customs declaration or ESTA VISA form all being in order? And then, no doubt, as the 747 starts to descend, as a vegan, you’ll be thinking should I have brought my own food? You can read this useful article – what can I bring through airport security? Anything at all?! Am I going to have to eat my customs declaration form complimentary pencil?
Well, rest easy vegan adventurer. Coming into JFK, LaGuardia or Newark, the Big Apple offers you excitement, adventure, history and variety – and that includes vegan options at your airport too.
Vegan joy can be found at Jikji Café of Terminal 1 of JFK – a cruelty free taste of Korea Stateside pretty much on arrival. That has to be a good thing.
If pizza is your gig, as if I need to ask, then Z-Pizza in Terminal 4 can satisfy any jet-setter vegan pizza cravings.
Stuck for a vegan bite to eat at LaGuardia? You’ll find Cibo Express’s dotted around this airport, providing a wide range of vegan wraps, among other cruelty-free choices. The food in Jujube Tree is amazing! All food is delicious and well-seasoned, suitable for vegans. You can try Vegan BBQ ribs and Crispy Soy nuggets.
And over at Newark-Liberty, vegans won’t go hungry at Thyme – a restaurant offering a wide range of vegan options.
Eat vegan in NYC
Once free of passport control and customs, NYC doesn’t disappoint the vegan visitor. Get out there and get eating!
Brooklyn’s Modern Love is one of the hippest vegan eateries in the entire city. Well worth checking out. Sunglasses are optional. Taste is assured. As well as the amazing Screamer’s Pizzeria where you will get whole pizzas or slices for every taste.
Any review of a vegan NYC wouldn’t be complete without mention of The Cinnamon Snail. Their maple mustard tempeh sandwich needs recognition at the UN. To be found in the Pennsy Local Food Hall in
Manhattan (corner of 7 th Avenue and 33 rd Street). They also put on food trucks to serve events in the NYC / New Jersey area – neat huh?
Smack bang in the heart of Greenwich village, is Red Bamboo – a true jewel in the vegan NYC crown. Priding itself on having served vegan comfort food to NYC since 2001, Red Bamboo brings you specialty vegan tastes of both Asia and the US South, among other culinary delights.
If you’re venturing into Harlem, it would be a faux pas not to check out the exquisite Seasoned Vegan. Taking inspiration from around the globe, they’ll veganize pretty much anything you ever care to think
about.
And now, a vegan pause for thought, especially for those who have not been to the States before but are planning to. It can seem to be a daunting exercise in paperwork, let alone before you ever get to ponder
on what to eat on arrival.
So let me help. Your author has been through the whole “I’m a vegan going to the USA, what do I get to eat and are my documents in order?” flight-time freak-outs in what feels like a million times before.
I was a British ESTA kind of a guy coming into the States – but a visa-visitor is no doubt just as concerned.
We know every time that everything is spot-on, because we worked on it relentlessly before, but still, those flight time nerves get the better of us and US border control never gets any friendlier. And on top that, we need to get focused on where’s vegan to eat once we’ve got through all that? In NYC? And that traffic? And so much hustle and bustle?
Hotels in NYC
It can be done. And once you get out of the airport and into NYC, enjoy! For those staying over in NYC? Well, as a vegan visitor, you won’t be disappointed to discover that the liveliest city on Earth brings you plenty of options when it comes to vegan friendly hotels too.
Check out Hotel Tortuga on 246 East 14th Street. Not only a great place to sleep over, but you’ll find a smorgasbord of vegan friendly options to choose from in their restaurant. Enjoy Mexican vegan food such as their breakfast platter called Huevos con Vegetarian Chorizo. Try tofu scramble with vegetarian chorizo, sour cream, and cheese, served with beans and rice.
Any review of vegan friendly NYC hotels wouldn’t be complete without flagging up the splendiferous Candle 79. Nestling on 154 E 79 th Street on Upper East Side, what is there not to like about this from a vegan’s point of view? The vegan options are extensive and the service is exemplary.
Why not stay in a breathtaking Hudson Valley retreat just 70 miles from NYC, but deep in the scenic heart of the Hudson Valley surrounded with nature.
Get around NYC
So when out and about in NYC, getting around and taking in the sights, how does a vegan visitor fare?
Well, public transport will serve you well when in NYC. Keep in mind that this is a city that is one of the most vegan friendly on the planet. So where-ever you alight, bus or train, there is vegan accommodation
nearby. You may not find it on the platform, but you will within spitting distance of wherever you may be.
One last shout out – The Urban Vegan Kitchen. It would be utterly remiss of me to share this vegan secret with you. On 41 Carmine Street, West Village, you’re at the risk of your head exploding at the number of vegan options you’ll be confronted with.
This vegan comfort food restaurant located in New York City features musical selectors and live events, catering to an eclectic mix of modern and traditional music. The restaurant was formally called Blossom on Carmine. Urban Vegan Kitchen serves a fully vegan brunch and dinner menu.
Never Miss Your Favorite Vegan Products
Don’t miss your favorite vegan products by ordering them online before traveling, such as from NoPigNeva. An online vegan grocery store is your convenient option when buying a wide array of hard-to-find vegan products.
Are you looking for the best places to travel this year? Visit New York this 2021.
New York is like London, like Paris, like Sydney – world cities beckoning you to venture in and relish their delights. But NYC has a ton more of yellow cabs and, refreshingly, an abundance of vegan delights. Enjoy this pulsating world city. As a vegan, you won’t be disappointed. It is after all the Big (Vegan) Apple.
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